New VA center may come to Center Twp

October 10, 2013News Extra

CENTER TWP — The township is in consideration as the site for the new multimillion dollar VA Butler Healthcare Center.

The township supervisors met with Cambridge Development, a Virginia-based developer, on Monday to go over potential plans that could place the new health center along North Duffy Road just north of Cornell Drive near the township’s southern border with Butler Township.

“It’s the same facility they were going to consider in Deshon Woods,” Supervisor Ron Flatt said at Wednesday night’s supervisors meeting.

The Center Township site apparently is the same one that was mentioned by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in January 2012 as one of three possible sites.

The other two sites mentioned in January 2012 were Deshon Woods on Route 68 in Butler Township, the current site that is in jeopardy; and the Mount Chestnut golf course in Franklin Township at the intersection of Route 422 and North Road.

The other property under consideration is owned by the Bocci family on Lions Road, spanning both Butler and Center townships.

Each of the four properties have a different developer.

The new $74 million health center was to be built in on Route 68 in Butler Township until the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in August ended its lease with Westar Development, the Ohio company that was slated to build it.

Flatt said the supervisors on Monday spoke extensively with Mark Hefferin, who represents Cambridge Development, to go over potential plans for the 180,000 square-foot facility.

The supervisors on Wednesday voted to support the project if the developer wants to proceed in the township.

“We voted to do what we reasonably can do to welcome them,” Flatt said. “We feel it would significantly change the corner of the municipality.”